Shoaib Ibrahim on his Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 11 experience; says ‘I wanted to stand in the finale and God fulfilled my wish’

After being a finalist in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 11, Shoaib Ibrahim reacted to wildcard contestant Manisha Rani's triumph in lifting the coveted trophy. The actor chose to document his experience in a vlog, offering viewers insights into the finale day, his personal journey on the show, and his Dubai trip and more.

I have come this far, I am standing in the finals, in the top five... The journey has been very good in itself. I have received a lot of love from all of you and that is why I have reached this far. Yes, it is very emotional as I won’t be coming to Filmistan after this. I won't be able to rehearse. But whatever happened, the journey was great. I enjoyed it a lot. This journey will be remembered for the rest of my life. It was a beautiful journey. The journey of 16 weeks was great. The journey from the first episode to the finale was great.

Shoaib’s parents, his sister Saba, brother-in-law Sunny, nephew Rehaan, mother-in-law visited him on the finale day. During the shoot, Shoaib’s mother said that she is very happy that he has reached the finale. Judge Farah Khan shared, “Shoaib your mother is sweeter than you.” Shoaib’s father also got emotional and teary-eyed.

Host Rithvik Dhanjani visited Shoaib’s vanity and met his family. He shared a cute banter with Shoaib’s mom. As his mom expressed that she is nervous, Rithvik asks, “Why?” He further states that she shouldn’t worry as Shoaib reached finale. He says, “Ladke ne bahut mehnat ki hai.” Shoaib’s Ammi says, “Tum toh aur hasaate ho.” Rithvik cutely tells her that she should consider him as her son too. She replies, “Tum dikhte bhi Shanu jaise ho.”

Many congratulations to Manisha and to all her fans. And I will say only this, that haar jeet hai, hoti rehti hai. I have come this far in the competition and I am very thankful to Allah for that. I have put in a lot of hard work. All of you have put in a lot of hard work by voting for me. God has fulfilled my wish as I wanted to stand in the finale. I was standing in the top 5. I was in the top 3.

She got emotional and teary eyed saying, “Thoda bura toh lagta hi hai. The journey of 17 weeks and that hard work, and after coming so close, you know, you performed so mind-blowingly. You got so much love from all of fans that you didn't come to the bottom even once. Which is a very big thing. And as a dancer, you have evolved a lot. Farah ma'am saying that she will remember this season because of you is a very big thing. Congratulations, Manisha. And congratulations to Ashu. This is Ashu's first season as a main choreographer. When I did Jhalak's season, Ashu assisted Vaibhav. So Ashu, Vaibhav and I were there. So congratulations my child.”

My journey has been full of ups and downs. Sometimes I have fallen, sometimes I have gotup, sometimes a lot of things have happened. I'll say thanks again to Anu especially, AJ, Tushar, Raunak and Rahul, who choreographed my finale act. Thank you very much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Anu, AJ, for taking care of me for the last 17 weeks. I was a complete non-dancer. I remember when it was my first week, I couldn't even warm up properly. I used to do half of it because there were things, it was very bulky. But somehow we have reached here. And it has been a good journey. It has been a praiseworthy journey. And it has been a very memorable journey.

Maudhaha is my hometown. Everyone was so determined there. Everyone was determined everywhere. Everyone was determined in every corner of India. But the way I have seen things in Maudhaha this time, I am very thankful for that. Yes, I couldn't bring the trophy to Maudhaha. But it's okay. I will come to Maudhaha soon without the trophy. I will definitely come and meet you all. I will try to meet you personally. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for Sunny (brother-in-law), for calling everyone to vote for me. From Jamshedpur, Delhi to Kerala, I have seen the messages. I have received a lot of messages from Haryana as well.

Post wrapping up Jhalak, Shoaib and Dipika flew to Dubai with their son Ruhaan for the first time. The couple will be celebrating many of their milestones together and be there for a week. They were supposed to ring in their anniversary together. Shoaib gave a glimpse of son Ruhaan enjoying Dubai vibes. They’ll be back on March 10.